Justin Norris | Staff Writer
Beto O’Rourke – Eric Gay | Associated Press
The 2018 midterm elections have come and gone. The Republicans maintained their control of the Senate, and the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives—which has now changed hands for the third time in 12 years. Although the results of the midterm elections have been decided, people and politicians have begun looking forward to the 2020 presidential election.
Some people believe President Donald Trump was elected because people wanted someone different from President Barack Obama. There is a chance that a similar situation will occur in the 2020 election.
When 50 Hampton University students were polled about who they would support in the 2020 election, the responses varied greatly. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Beto O’ Rourke (D-TX) led the poll with 13 votes each.
Chase Putney, a senior political science major from Newport News, expressed his support for Beto O’Rourke as a potential candidate in the 2020 presidential election.
“Even though Beto lost the midterm election in Texas, he’s still a pretty great person and a good Democratic political figure,” Putney said. “He really had voters rally behind him in a state that has long been a Republican state. I think whoever wins the election will have to be as well liked by his supporters as Trump is by his, and I think Beto has that type of fanaticism in his base.”
After Sanders and O’Rourke, Joe Biden finished in third place in the poll by receiving eight votes. Kamala Harris placed fourth in the poll, garnering seven votes from HU students.
Ron Sanders, a junior chemical engineering major from Atlanta, hopes that a fresher face will emerge to hold the nation’s highest office.
“I think Kamala Harris would be a great option to usher in a newer generation of American politics,” Sanders said. “She’s young and would give help give Washington the fresh start it needs. We’ve already seen that she is unafraid to hold people accountable, as she did with her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh in his confirmation hearing. She will make sure that no politician thinks they are above the law.”
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) rounded out the Democratic options with four and two votes, respectively. Ted Cruz (R-TX) also received two votes, and Trump received one vote.
It is widely assumed President Trump will win the Republican nomination again, but the Democratic field of candidates is wide open, and it will be fascinating to see who emerges with the Democratic nomination in July 2020.
The Hampton Script 